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The Protocols
Kindred society is possibly thousands of years old, with social conventions evolving from a place of predatory power and reflecting the Kindred's semi-feudal and biological urges. The Kindred value territory, blood, and power. Territory means blood. Blood means power. Power means territory. Status Status is both an IC and OOC mechanic in the New World of Darkness/Blood and Smoke chronicles. While cliques and institutions run their own kind of status, placing officers above snitches, and nurses above janitors, Kindred Status has a visceral power over the damned. Kindred react to the vagaries of status much more emphatically than other institutions might. While a security guard would very much think twice about pestering a judge in her chambers, Kindred of sufficiently low status find approaching the Prince and other such luminaries of the court virtually unthinkable. Speaking poorly to a Kindred of two city status higher causes witnesses to catch their breath in shock, while doing so to a Kindred three or more higher is a city sin. Even fledgelings understand these social contracts, having grown up in societies in which judicial bodies and social luminaries are beyond the approach of their 'lessers'. The bonus dice granted by higher status often mean that Kindred of superior position can crush their lessers, embarassing or enraging them in public, and goading them into sins the harpies are all too pleased to pounce on. Ignoring the status of a Kindred in the city, such as seizing properties granted by the Prince, speaking poorly to your betters, or simply failing to show proper deference (obvious to everyone by the denying of another character their status dice in a social contest) is a city sin. Elysium Elysium is the centerpiece of the Kindred social world. Many Kindred won't even enter a city without knowing where the Elysium is, and who the keeper is, and what the reputation is. This information might be a year or two old, and in some chronicles that might mean the Keeper has changed hands three or four times, but most domains find a Keeper of Elysium and then maintain a single or a few Elysia for the duration of the city. Kindred can be expected to come to the Elysium and return to their havens from the Elysium unmolested, and those who violate the laws of the Elysium are punished by the Keeper's scathing sanctions, which are without bounds within the city's social hierarchy. The Prince may grant acknowledgement, but the Keeper is one of the only Kindred who may also take it away, declaring a Kindred to be persona non grata in the Elysia by banning them from the halls and removing their last dot of city status. Such Kindred usually find themselves on the city's Red List, those criminals who are to be immediately hunted and brought before the Prince. The Keeper of Elysium has no 'status points', and any infraction of the Elysium may cost any number of Kindred involved their standing in the city. Harpies The harpies are the hub, usually found on the centerpiece, and cause the city's social mill to turn. The Prince, by authority of their social power in the city, proclaims a single harpy (or Grand Harpy) as an arbiter and commentator on the city's function. The harpy's political power comes directly from the prince that supports them, giving the harpy a number of 'status points' to spend and use to raise and lower the individual status levels of the Kindred of the city. Only the Prince may award the first dot of standing, which takes the form of acknowledgement, meaning the Prince sanctions that Kindred to hunt within the city's racks and would take exception to that Kindred being destroyed. In cities where the Prisci hold enough power to be recognized as seperate from the Primogen Council, the Prisci may elect a harpy of their own. This harpy has a number of status points equal to the status of the highest member of the council. Only in cities where there are three or more Prisci who are *not* members of the Primogen Council can such a harpy hold sway over the opinions of the Kindred. Unlike the Prince, Harpies cannot give and take status on a whim. They must have reasons to back their motions and those reasons must be either clearly visible to all, or be well explained in circulation. Any small victory could be enough to prompt a laurel from the harpies, but one must commit a 'city sin' to have standing stripped away. City Sins are contraventions of the protocols that create discord in Kindred Society, such as breaching city laws, ignoring status, and failing to hold the reputation of your standing. Powerful Kindred are expected to prove it. They answer legitimate threats and challenges and conquer minor difficulties without fanfare. While a rank neonate might gain recognition for handling a corrupt cop leaning on their herd, an Elder would be hard pressed to keep his standing in the face of not being able to protect his herd from a mere mortal. Conflict The first stage of kindred conflict is always social. Kindred posture and preen to show their worth and maintain their reputations. When one Kindred takes territory from another, (so long as that territory is not sanctioned by the Prince) the city looks on with appreciation at the victor, and scorns the loser. Category:Meta